KELOWNA, BC - With the school career scoring record just 10 points away for fifth year post Roslyn Huber (Kelowna, BC), Huber stormed out of the gates scoring the game’s first four points powering the Heat to an 18-2 start in the game versus the Fraser Valley Cascades. Unfortunately Huber and the rest of her UBC Okanagan teammates could not keep up the pace. Huber fell shy of the record and the Heat fell shy of the win, falling 69-62 to the No. 4 ranked Cascades.

A hot first half propelled the Heat to a 25-10 lead after the first quarter, followed by a 41-34 lead going into halftime. The Heat finished the first half with 42.9% shooting, including 4-8 from three-point range.

“I couldn’t be prouder,” said Heat coach Heather Semeniuk postgame. “They had courage to play defense, they had courage to shoot the ball … The first half was just outstanding, the way they were playing together.”

However, the Cascades found rhythm in the second half and kept pouring in buckets while the Heat cooled off to score fewer points in each consecutive quarter (16, 12, 9). The Cascades managed to keep the Heat to only 20% from the field in the second half.

Coach Semeniuk admitted a fatigue had set in down the stretch of the game: “Just a little more depth on their [UFV’s] bench, a little more ability to rest more of their girls, us getting fatigued … and just us getting fatigued. You could see we didn’t have our legs under our shots. At that point late in the fourth quarter it becomes a chore.”

“But hey, I’m proud of them. I just can’t be happier to have a 7 point game with the fourth ranked team in Canada.”

A pair of sophomore guards powered the Heat to a near upset of the conference leading and nationally ranked Cascades. Emily Kanester (Vernon, BC) and Sarah Allison (South Surrey, BC) both scored a team-high 15 points. Kanester also recorded a team-high 11 rebounds to complete the double-double.

Meanwhile, fifth-year guard Madison Kaneda had a near double-double herself, finishing with eight points, 12 rebounds and also dishing a game-high five assists on offense.

Second-year forward Kayli Sartori scored a game-high 20 points for the Cascades. Fourth-year forward Aieisha Luyken scored 12 points while recording five assists. The Cascades managed to keep the Heat to only 20% from the field in the second half, down from a great 42.9% in the first half.

Huber (Kelowna, BC) remains just two points away from Jenna Kantz’s women’s basketball career scoring record of 862 total points with her eight points tonight the captain has 861. Her next chance at passing Kantz will be in Langley when the Heat square off against the 5-13 Trinity Western Spartans.

Asked to reflect on Huber’s storied five-year career, Semeniuk did not hesitate: “I don’t even think I could begin to describe the amazing young person and player she is. Total support all the way through of her teammates, of our philosophies, and she’s just an outstanding role model for any kid playing basketball.”

Semeniuk took the time to emphasize Huber’s team-first mentality, however, saying that ““This whole point thing, it’s not a bid deal to her. Once it’s done and everything is written up, she’ll be proud of it, but it certainly isn’t her focus. Team has always been her focus.”

The Heat move to 5-14 while the conference-leading Cascades improve to 15-3. UFV returns home next weekend to host the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack for a back-to-back. Meanwhile, the Heat hit the road to visit the Trinity Western Spartans Friday and Saturday night. Tip-off Friday for the Heat will be 6 p.m.